Sales-indicating container



J. s. COCHRAN sALEs INDIGATING CONTAINER Filed Dec. 7, 1925 Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

UgNi'TEn.; srlafllasl par aNrfoFHcE'. i

JOSEPH-s cocnnamor srorircro`mv CALIFORNIA.

' Application 1111911 December This. invention relates to improvements in apparatus for use in selfselling stores,..` or those in :whchthe V.customer'S.=hel ithem# selves to the goods. andv which t ereforelrequire the v`use of but arsmallforceofclerks and other helpto adequately,

like,A but/1 contemplate using. v5this ,sel1sell-g ingprinciple in connectionjwithda drug-7,

store ,g Vespecially iforv selling ,proprietary or patent; medicines which come lwrapped .in plainly labeled packages; andy also all'standf ard.. drugs and xmedicines.which are .likewise l dispensedin package v,form or .in bottles. Y:

The principal objecti` ofy myV invention-is to `provide .v containersn gior; such1 package. i goods, arranged inI casescso; thatfthe goods are kepti in .an orderly andgidustproof condi;A

tion, Vwhile v.at .they Sametime enabling the purchaser :to `readilygsee whatisin the various` containers without moying the, 1 oontainers or withdrawingthaigoods.- v The. oontaina. ers are arrangechto bemanipulatedby kthe purchasers themselves,- and 1., any.` package withdrawn without @calling-.on -a clerk Vforr assistance. 1

A furthery `and l,impontantobj est of the invention is to arrange a signal s stem-4in;A connectionwith .the containers so t at when:

anycontainer is emptiedaofits.contentsea signalrwill be given atacentralized station, This. will;l notify. thefclerk or Lotherattendant.- .Y thatf..a purchase.,l1as;been,made and-,at the Sametime will advisehimfjustwhich. con;-

rtainereout of allthoseinthestore has-been.` emptied. This enables him to reill the;oon-.

tainer .with the: 'particular ,n `goods dispensed therefrom Without loss of timefandwithout. 40 necessitating a detailedl inspection .of-.al1 the.

containers to ascertain their conditionigg This ,arrangement ;notf` only leens thefg. number of clerksnecessary in runningltgheV es,

to be readily ikeptmd makes it easygfto-keep. the proper stock of goods in the; containers:

store but enables :a check on. the ,puro

at all times..

These objects I accomplish'byimeansof. such vstructure and 4.relative arrangement of parts as .willfullygappear byea', pernsalfof the Ifollowing Vspecification and' claims-:n:

In: the drawings sim-ilarf, characters; :of

reference indicate... corresponding .partsy in the several views:

tion ot" a sales .case5lshow1nga plurality of run the .-store 'This systemgis now, `mainy ,usedfinon-.i nection with. the salev of groceries and lthe:

Fig 1 is af fragmentary-perspetiue .elevarl naar; serial Np... rasoi.

my .improved `containers mounted therein. F ig@` is a transverse section of the .case withV the). containers therein, .in `connection .withla diagrammatically shown signal system.4

Fig. 3 is .a cross. section on the line. 3-3 of Fig.2 enlarged. y

Referringhow` more vparticularly to the characters` of reference on the v.drawingsk the caserin Which the containers are mountspaced'partitionslopen to the front, conf yed includes l vertical. and .longitudinally .'nected at their rear ends by a Wall 2 and,`

tions y.1 is sufficient to receive a number of tvertically spaced individual containers. Each container comprises a bottom plate 4 `mounted for. .horizontal sliding Ymovement between rollers 5 which are mounted in yokes 6 securedto'adjacent Xfaces of adja# centpartitions 1. j

Thefinner. end of the plate 4 is provided against-l the innermost yokes v6 when the plate has been'withdrawn a certain distance. A. spring 8 acts to pull the plate inwardly ;vhent.heange. 7 abuts against a stopblock 9 ofrubberor the like iixed on the WallQ` Y The .outerend ofthe plate 4 is bent up 4 a rigidrplatell projects upwardly from overhangingthe same. The extension 15 preferably has small side ears 16 projecting .upwardly therefrom. f f y The-container' is designedv to receive a standardfpackage-N between the platesll .andV 1.3, the ...package restingon the plate 15 between-the lears and maintaining the platesv 11 andzl in spaced parallel relation. The

on lthe top by a cover 3, these parts together. 'l' forming a rigid structure just as is a booke. fcase or the like. Theheight of the parti.

said .plate `4, havin onits lower end allori vis a horizontal -plateextension 15, located` a certain distance abovevthe flange 11a but iwith anupturned-ange 7 adapted to abut Wardly torrtorm a finger; grip or handle -lange 1;0. .Y Intermediate the ends of the plate frontzplate- 13.' is preferably i provided with a glasswindowlSso thatthepurchaser can see the covering and name on the package without pulling out the container. vWhen desiring to remove the package he grasps the flange 10 with one hand and slides the container' outwardly, the outward Vmovement permitted the containerbeing suflicient 'to bring the inner plate 11 outwardly of the front of the casing. Holding the container' out with one hand he grasps the package with the other and removes it from between the plates, either' by a vertical movement or by tilting the package transversely.V

He then releases the container whereupon the spring 8 will tainer into the case. As soon as the package is removed from the container, the` spring hinge 1st acts to tilt the plate 13 in wardly, which causes the ezfrtension 15 to en gage the flange 11u as shown in Fig. 2.

This causes a signal to be given at a pre determined point such as adjacent the prescription counter or' vthe cashiei"s desk by means of the following structure:

Mounted at such point is a channel conltaining a plurality of lights 19, preferably of low voltage. There is one light for each container and they are arranged in numericaly sequence and order corresponding to the arrangement of the containers in the various cases. @ne wire 2() from each light is connected to the plate 11 of the correspending container, with suficienl. slack between the wall 2 and the plate, as shown at 9.1, to permit of the necessary horizontal movement of the container' without straining the wire. The other wire Q2 from said light is electrically connected to the eXtension 15, with a source of current such as a battery E23 interposed therein. In the present instancel I have shown 'the entire case, as well the plates il, 13, and 15, and the rollers 5 and hinges 14 as being of metal, so that a single wir'e Q2 common to all the lights and containers may be connected at any desired point to the case as shown.

It will therefore be seen that as long as any package maintains the corresponding plates 11 and 13 in their properly spaced relation, the circuit to the corresponding light .fill remain open and such light will not be lit. es soon as the package is removed, and the member 15 contacts with the Flange 11:L the circuit is closed through the light giving the necessary signal, and such light will remain lit until the cler'k reiills the container with a package and separates the plates.

`While I have shown each container asbeing arranged to hold only a single package, the width of the containers may be such as to hold a number of transversely spaced package In this case the plates 11 and 13 would be maintained in spaced parallel relation until the last package is removed. Also While I have shown the plates 11 and at once withdraw the conf 13 as being straight to tit against thesides .of a square lor rectangular package, they may ot course be made curved or otherwise ,shaped to fit packageshaving different ex- -readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfillstheobjects of the invention as set forth herein.

`Vhile this specification sets forth in deplate of an empty container, as shown -in` tail the present and preferred construction 'Y of the `dev1ce,`still in practice such deviations 'from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit the invention, as defined by 'the appended claims. Y A f Having thus describedmy invention what il claim new and useful and desire tov sevfrom eachother and between which the package ts, a horizontal flange at the bottom of one plat-e and 'a horizontal extension on the other plate above and o'verhanging the flangefand means acting to tilt the plate having the extension toward the other plate to causeA the extension and liange to engage, and functioning only when the container is empty. .i Y

2. A self-selling sales apparatus including a container', said container comprising a'bottom pla-te, rigid `ver'tical transverse plate projecting upwardly therefrom, another plate parallel to said rigid plate'in front of the' same'and hinged onto the bottom plate, `said plates being spaced to receive a package ytherebetween and the bottom plate then supporting the package, and spring means acting to tilt said vfront plate toward the innerplate and functioning only when the package is, removed.

3. In a self-selling sales apparatus, a case, a container for an individual package slidably ymounted therein, said container' including a front platev to aline with the frontof the case, and means provided with each container behind the front plate for causing a package supported by the container to maintain the front plate in a verticalposition,

and means whereby upon the removalfof the package the lfront plate will `tilt 4inwardly 

